Brassiere garment



June 20, 1944. HATTQN 2,351,680

B RASSIERE GARMENT Filed July 51, 1943 INVENTOR. mbezafiazzon,

Patented June 20, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BRAssIERE GARMENT Mabel n. Hatton, Beverly Hills, cam.

Application July 31, 1943, Serial No. 496,887

1 Claim.

This invention has to do with improvements in brassire garments.

Conventional brassiere garments comprise generally a breast support held in position by a taut body encircling portion and shoulder straps. It is a well known objection to presently known brassiere garments that the weight of the breasts causes that portion of the garment below the breasts to sag, wrinkle, bunch and to pinch the wearer, and causes the back portion to ride up the back of the wearer. This is particularly true where the wearer is physically active. This shortcoming renders such garments very uncomfortable and they are not conducive to obtaining the proper dress contour. Moreover, they tend to cause the wearer to assume a stooped posture to relieve the discomfort.

It is therefore one of the principal objects of my invention to provide a brassiere garment which overcomes those shortcomings of prior art garments in a simple and efiective manner.

It is a further object to provide a brassiere garment which not only provides an auxiliary support, but also induces correct posture.

It is another object of my invention to provide a brassiere garment which does not destroy the desired dress contour.

Still further advantages are to be derived from my invention and how those as well as the objects hereinabove enumerated are achieved will be best understood from the following detailed explanation of a presently preferred adaptation, for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective showing the front portion of my garment in position on a wearer;

Fig. 2 is a perspective showing the rear portion of the garment on a wearer;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective; and

Figure 4 shows a modification of the invention in which the auxiliary support straps extend around the waist portion of the body, being connected together at the front.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral 5 designates the cupped breast-supporting front portion of the garment, which has extensions 6 extending to the back of the wearer where they are secured together at their ends as by a snap member 1.

Shoulder straps 8 are secured at one end to the top edge of the front portion 5 and are sultably secured at their other ends to the back portion or extensions 6.

The garment which forms the subJect matter of my present invention includes, in combination with the foregoing more or less conventional construction, an auxiliary support, now to be described, which has the effect of supporting the breasts indirectly from some waist-encircling garment rather than entirely from the extensions 6, and which tends to maintain the entire garment in fixed position on the wearer while at the same time permitting full freedom of body movement.

I show at In, H a pair of auxiliary straps, secured at their top ends to the respective extensions 6 closely adjacent the point at which the respective shoulder straps 8 are secured. Those straps l0, H are then disposed crosswise and downwardly to permit free movement of the shoulders but yet provide effective support. The straps II], II are secured at their bottom ends to a waist-encircling member 9 such as the top edge of a girdle or a belt, as by pins I2 or other suitable anchor. Preferably each of the straps H), II has an elastic section Illa, Ila to provide comfortable yieldability; and the extensions 6 may have elastic sections 6a.

Brassire garments are relatively narrowbeing just wide enough at the front to cover the breastsand are necessarily drawn rather tight around the body of the wearer, which draws the lower edge seam in the front tightly against the body-tightly enough that the edge tends to cause a skin depression in which it rests. Thus the lower edge portion is prevented from slipping downward. However, the weight of the breasts combined with body movements tends to draw the upper part of the garment downwardly, causing the back extensions to ride up the back by virtue of the pull on the straps 8. This ordinarily results in that portion of the garment denoted a: sagging and wrinkling, causing considerable discomfort to the wearer. To relieve this discomfort one wearing a conventional garment is either constantly pulling upwardly on the top edge of the front portion or assumes a stooped posture. However, by incorporating my auxiliary support this sagging of the front portion and riding up of the back portion is prevented without interfering with comfort or contour. The crossed disposition of the straps H), II permits free body movement without unduly pulling upwardly on the anchor member 9 and at the same time they exert a sufiicient longitudinal tension on the shoulder straps 8 as well as circumferential tension on the remainder of the brassire to maintain it comfortably and at all times in proper, smooth position and condition.

Modifications may be made in the described construction without departing from the broader spirit of the invention.

For instance, in Fig. 4 I show a variational form in which the structure is as before described except that the auxiliary support straps l5 extend around the waist portion of the body, being connected together at the front, where they may or may not be attached to a garment or belt.

I claim:

A brassire garment comprising, in combination with a waist-encircling member embodying means for securing the latter in position about the waist of a wearer, a chest-encircling strip having in its front portion breast-supporting cups, fastening means for said strip for retaining the strip in place on a wearer, shoulder straps, one secured at its front end to the strip above one of the cups and secured at its other end to the back portion of the strip at a point substantially opposite said cup. and the other being secured at its front end to the strip above the other cup and secured at its other end to the back portion of the strip at a point substantially opposite said other cup, a pair of anchor straps, one

being secured at its upper end to the strip adjacent the point of attachment thereto of one of the shoulder straps and the other being secured at its upper end to thestrip adjacent the point of attachment thereto of the other shoulder strap, said anchor straps being disposed diagonally crosswise and adapted to be attached at their lower ends to the waist-encircling member.

MIABEL H. HA'I'I'ON. 

